Rocker



Patented July 16, 1 935 nocxiiir 7, Louis A. Hang, Dubuque, IowaApplication March 12, 1934, Serial No. 715,213

3 Claims.

This invention relates to rockers especially adapted for children toafford amusement with a maximum amount of safety and comfort, and hasfor the primary object the provision of a device which will be durableand cheap to manufacture and will be easy to operate so that com-'-paratively young or small children may successfully use the device.

With these and other objects in view this invention consists in certainnovel features of constructioncombination and arrangement of parts to behereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, I

reference is to be had to the following description and accompanyingdrawing, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly in section,illustrating a rocker constructed'in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View illustrating the same.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view taken on the line4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the connection betweenthe spring means and the rocker structure.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral I indicates an elongatedframe, the side members' of which form tracks 2 on which rocker elements.3 operate. The rocker elements 3 are provided with arcuately curvedfaces 4 so that said rocker elements on the tracks 2 may rock backwardand forward. The rocker elements are joined by a seat structure 5consisting of aseat 6, back! and feet and toe boards 8 and 9,respectively. The rocker elements slightly in advance of the seat 6 arecut away to form side entrances I 0 to permit a child to readily enterand exit from the device. Supporting members I I are secured to therocker elements in advance of the entrances Ill and extend from thefloor board 8 upwardly beyond the upper edges of the rocker elementsandin advance of the seat 6 and are connected by a hand rail l2 which isposi tioned to be easily grasped by a child when sitting upon the seat6. l

- A substantially, U-shaped frame I3 is positioned horizontally and issecured to the tracks 2 with the bight portion of said frame traversingthe space between the tracks and has adjustably connected thereto ananchoring element I4 to which one end of a coil spring I5 is secured,The other end of the spring I5 is connected to a plate I5 and the latteris pivoted to a hanger I1. The hanger is provided with a bifurcatedportion between which is pivoted the plate IB and one end of aconnecting link I8, A shaft I9 is connected to the tracks and extendsthrough the arm por- 5 tions of the frame I3 and has journaled thereonthe hanger l I. A U-shaped support'2ll is journaled on the shaft I9 withits arm portions 2| extending upwardly and carrying a shaft 22 on whichis journaled the upper end of the link I8. 10 The arm portions 2i of theframe 20 are capable of a rocking motion on the shaft I9 by the rockingmovements of the rockerelements 3. The shaft 22 is connected to asub-frame 23 mounted to the seat structure 5, as shown in 5 Figure 4, byconnecting members 24 each of which consists of a substantiallytriangularshaped element as suggested in Figure 4. The connectingmembers 24 are journaled to the shaft 22 and pivoted to the subframe 23.This tri- 20 angular-shaped element provides strength to each of themembers 24-and prevents shifting of the connecting member or link I8 onthe shaft 22.

The normal position of the rocker elements is 25 as shown in Figure 2with the spring I5 under a slight tension. A child occupying the seat 6leans first'forwardly and then backwardly to start the rocking motion ofthe rocking elements on the track and this rocking motion is aided bythe 30 spring l5. It is to be understood that the spring I5 receives itsgreatest tensioning when the rock- .er elements reach approximately thelimit of their rocking motion in either direction so that when the childshifts its weight the spring acts to aid 35 in moving the rockingelements in a reverse direction. The arrangement of the spring and itsconnection with the rocking elements also prevents the latter fromrocking in either direction to an extent that it would be dangerous tothe child occupying the seat.

The rocking motion of the rockers on the track cause a'forward andrearward swinging movement of the shaft 22 due tothe latter beingconnected to the subframe 23 by the connecting members 24. The shaft 22being connected to the hanger I1 by the link l8 will cause said hangerto swing upwardly and downwardly on the shaft I9 during said swingingmovement of the shaft 50 22. The upward and downward movement of thehanger I'I increases the tension of the spring 15. Thus it will be seenthat the spring acts to aid the rocking movements of the rockers on theI track. 7 55 Having described the invention, I claim:

1. A rocker comprising a rocker structure, a support for supporting saidrocker structure, a pivotal frame pivoted to the support, spring meansconnected to the support, a member pivoted to the support and pivotallyconnected to said spring means, means connecting the rocker structure tothe pivotal frame, and means connecting the pivotal frame to saidmember.

2. A rocker comprising a rocker structure, a support for supporting saidrocker structure, a shaft secured to the support, a movable framejournaled to the shaft, means connecting the movable frame to the rockerstructure, a springthe shaft and pivotally connected to the spring, andmeans connecting said member to the movable frame.

3. A rocker comprising a rocker structure, a support for supporting saidrocker structure, a shaft secured to the support, a movable framejournaled to the shaft, connecting elements journaled to the movableframe and pivoted to therocker structure, a spring adjustably connectedto the support, a platelike member journaled to the shaft and pivotallyconnected to the spring, and a link pivotally connected to the movableframe'and to the plate-like member.

LOUIS A. HAUG.

